


Waves

by Backroad_To_Hell



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Ember Island (Avatar), Established Relationship, Established Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Feelings, Guilt, Kissing, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, POV Sokka (Avatar), Past Sokka/Yue (Avatar), Space Heater Zuko, zukka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-14 01:27:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,357
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29785080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Backroad_To_Hell/pseuds/Backroad_To_Hell
Summary: As Zuko was leaning in for another kiss, Sokka backed away, putting a hand on the prince’s chest to stop him. Zuko pulled away instantly, his brow pinching and his eyes searching Sokka’s face.“Maybe,” Sokka said softly. “Maybe not in front of the moon.”Zuko huffed out a chuckle, then paused when Sokka didn't laugh with him. "The moon? Why not?"---Sokka opening up to Zuko about what happened with Yue.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 165
Collections: All zukka, Zukka that makes my little heart sing, avatar fics consisting primarily of purple ships lol





	Waves

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a short little scene I wrote a while ago, and I've decided to dig it out of the depths of my google drive so I can get some attention while I work on something big. :)

Sokka couldn't sleep again.

He rolled over in his bed, groaning softly. It wasn't uncommon for any of the gang to be restless at night, especially now that Sozin's comet was getting closer and closer with every passing day, but now at least Sokka didn't disturb anyone else when he rolled around.

Holing up in Zuko's family's old beach house on Ember Island meant that, for the first time in months, everyone got to sleep in their own beds- in their own rooms even.

It was a blessing and a curse. On one hand, Sokka didn't have to worry about bothering anyone else with his restlessness or occasional nightmares. On the other hand, it had been kind of nice to know that someone would be there to offer comfort if he needed it.

Sokka rolled out of bed, giving up on sleep for now. He put his shirt on, then padded barefoot out of his room. He was sure to tiptoe especially gently by Toph's room. She was the most affected when anyone was moving around during the night.

He walked outside, keeping on the stone paths through the gardens because of his lack of shoes. The garden was starting to look unkept and overgrown, but Sokka honestly liked how it looked, even if Zuko had complained a little when they'd first arrived. It was almost like even the plants were ready to overcome Ozai's influence.

Sokka looked up at the sky. The moon was full, nearly blindingly bright above him. He smiled sadly. Thoughts of Yue always came up at the worst of times. He knew that their relationship had been barely that, but still his heart ached when he thought about how he had failed to keep her safe. He had one job, and he'd failed.

Now, Yue watched him from above. He hoped she was proud of him.

Staring at the moon, Sokka wasn't looking where he was going. He tripped over something large and rolled on the ground with an 'oof'.

He sat up, looking around for what'd he'd tripped over. Zuko was sitting up too, groaning and rubbing his side. A blanket and pillow were laid out under where he'd been, now rumpled and dirty from Sokka tracking dirt onto them.

"Sokka?" Zuko asked blankly, squinting at him. The courtyard lit up around them as Zuko summoned a bit of flame to hold in his hand.

"I'm so sorry!" Sokka exclaimed, crawling over to Zuko. "Are you alright?"

His hand hovered over Zuko, not yet touching. Zuko was an anomaly when it came to touch. Sometimes he totally rejected it, even from his boyfriend. Other times though, he craved it so deeply that Sokka was sure he'd been starved of it his entire life. Either way, it was always good to wait for Zuko to let Sokka know what kind of time it was.

"I'm okay," Zuko assured him, reaching forward to grip Sokka's forearms.

Okay, it's touchy time, Sokka noted mentally. He scooted closer to the prince, glancing down at the blanket and pillow again. "Are you sleeping out here?" he asked.

Zuko glanced down, then nodded.

"Why? There are plenty of beds inside."

Zuko shrugged, clearly not feeling talkative.

It was always a struggle to get Zuko to open up about anything, especially when it had to do with his feelings. Still, Sokka was the best person for the task. He knew not to push the firebender. Pressuring him only made him lash out. Instead Sokka waited in silence, letting Zuko decide if he wanted to let him in tonight or not.

"It's just too weird to sleep in there," he admitted finally.

Sokka cheered mentally, not just for himself getting Zuko to talk to him, but for Zuko allowing himself to trust Sokka with this. "I haven't been here since I was a kid, except for one time with Azula. So much has changed since then. When I'm in there, it's just too overwhelming. I can't sleep."

Sokka nodded. He couldn't relate to that feeling necessarily, but he understood.

"Why are you out here?" Zuko asked then, turning the topic off of himself.

"I couldn't sleep either," Sokka admitted. "Too much going on up here." He waved his hand around his head.

Zuko hummed. "Because of the comet?"

"Yeah, mostly that," Sokka said. "It's been so long since we've stayed in one place and really had time to relax, and now I just can't do it. Before, when we were always traveling, I didn't have time to process anything that happened. Now that I have some breathing room it's all just coming back."

Like Yue, his brain supplied helpfully.

"Ah." Zuko spun the flame around his fingers. "Do you um... Do you want to talk about it?"

Sokka shook his head. Probably some day in the future he'd have to open the floodgates and really process everything that's happened to him over these past few months, but right now he needed to focus on helping Aang defeat Ozai however he could. He was worried that if he started talking he wouldn't be able to stop. "I just wanted to get some fresh air," he said.

"Makes sense," Zuko agreed. He scooted over to the edge of the blanket, then patted the space next to him. "Wanna lay with me? The stars are out."

Sokka nodded, then laid down next to Zuko. Their shoulders pressed together. Even through his shirt Sokka could feel how warm Zuko was. He pressed closer.

Zuko exhaled sharply through his nose in what might have been a laugh, then opened his arm to allow Sokka to cuddle closer to him.

"You're warm," Sokka hummed.

"That's a good thing, right?"

"Absolutely."

They were quiet for a while, just staring up at the stars. The constellations made different shapes here than they did in the summers at the southern water tribe. It reminded Sokka of how far away from the south pole he was. Even once this was all over, it would be weeks at least before he could see his home again.

Sokka sighed, laying his head on Zuko’s chest and burying his nose in his neck. The prince smelled like woodsmoke and sweet fruit. Sokka could get high on that scent.

“You can’t see the stars like that,” Zuko commented, glancing down at the top of Sokka’s head.

Sokka burrowed deeper in his shoulder, pressing his whole body against Zuko’s side. “I don’t need to,” he said, blinking up at Zuko. “You make me see stars all the time.”

Zuko scoffed, shoving Sokka off of him. “You’re ridiculous,” he said fondly.

Sokka smirked. “You know you love it.”

Zuko nodded with a sigh, rubbing his face. “Unfortunately...”

Sokka smacked him lightly, pretending to pout.

Zuko glanced over at him, heaved another sigh, and then reached out to pull Sokka closer to him so their faces were barely centimeters apart.

Sokka grinned, closing the space between them with a sweet kiss. Their lips slid together, and Zuko’s hand came up to rest on Sokka’s waist as they kissed a little deeper. Eventually Sokka pulled away, staring at Zuko. His face was flushed and he was panting softly, his gold eyes looking softer in the moonlight.

Moonlight.

As Zuko was leaning in for another kiss, Sokka backed away, putting a hand on the prince’s chest to stop him.

Zuko pulled away instantly, his brow pinching and his eyes searching Sokka’s face.

“Maybe,” Sokka said softly. “Maybe not in front of the moon.”

Zuko huffed out a chuckle, then paused when Sokka didn't laugh with him. "The moon? Why not?"

Sokka didn't look at Zuko. Instead he laid on his back and stared up at Yue, trying not to imagine how she was feeling. Could she even feel human emotions anymore? How did she feel watching Sokka with other people? He knew that their relationship had been short lived, but still he hoped that he was as important to her as she was to him. Did it hurt her to see him with Suki or Zuko?

Suddenly Sokka felt like a horrible person. How many times had he so thoughtlessly flirted with someone where she could see? How many times had he hurt the girl who had given up her mortal spirit to save him and his friends? Guilt clawed at the pit of his stomach.

"Sokka?" Zuko's voice brought him back to reality. He realized that his face was wet. "Sokka, what's wrong?" Zuko was sitting up slightly on one elbow, watching him carefully.

Sokka wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "Sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be," Zuko said. "What's going on?"

Sokka glanced at the ground, wringing his hands. He wasn't sure how he would even begin to tell Zuko about Yue.

"Do you remember when I told you that my first girlfriend turned into the moon?"

Zuko's eyes went wide with recognition, and he nodded once. "I was so confused," he admitted. "I didn't know what to say."

Then Zuko looked up at the moon. Yue's light seemed to caress his features, softening them in a way that made Sokka's heart ache. "That's her?" Zuko asked softly.

Sokka nodded. "Yeah."

Zuko shook his head with a small smile. “Only you would seduce the moon spirit.”

Sokka smacked his arm. “In my defense, she wasn’t the moon spirit when we met. Not really.”

Zuko stared at him, clearly waiting for him to go on. This felt so backwards. Usually it was Sokka waiting for Zuko to spill his guts, not the other way around.

“Her name’s Yue. The moon spirit saved her life as a baby by giving her some of its energy. Then, when General Zhao killed the moon spirit, she sacrificed herself. She gave that energy back, and became the moon spirit.” Sokka’s eyes were getting a little misty again.

“That… That’s really awful, Sokka. I’m sorry.” Zuko’s eyes were clear and open, waiting for Sokka to melt down. Sokka couldn’t quite make himself understand why Zuko was being so apologetic. Out of anyone, Sokka was the one who should be sorry. He was supposed to protect Yue, and now she’s gone. Sokka had never felt more useless than in the moment he watched Yue’s body fade.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Zuko said.

Sokka blinked. Had he been thinking out loud?

“It’s obvious what you were thinking. I know how much you love to blame yourself for everything.”

“I was,” Sokka admitted. “I am.”

“Why? It sounds like it was Zhao’s fault more than anything.”

“But her father assigned me to protect her,” Sokka insisted.

“Just you?”

Sokka nodded.

“Listen Sokka,” Zuko said. “I know you're incredibly talented, but honestly, there’s no way Yue’s father should have expected a sixteen year old boy to protect his daughter all by himself in the middle of a siege. It shouldn’t have been your responsibility in the first place. And besides, even a whole group of guards probably wouldn’t have been able to stop Zhao and his men from doing what they did.”

Sokka blinked. He’d never thought of it like that. “But I was with the Avatar,” he argued. “He had every reason to expect me to be enough to protect his daughter.”

“So?” Zuko stared hard at Sokka. “Aang’s only twelve. Don’t even get me started on how much it sucks that he has all this on his shoulders.” Zuko gestured around vaguely. “For him, there’s no escaping it. But that doesn’t change the fact that he shouldn’t have to be the one fixing the whole world. None of us should. This is way too much responsibility for a couple of teenagers to have. It’s awful, and it’s wrong, and it shouldn’t be up to us to fix one hundred year old problems that we didn’t create. So I don’t want to see you blaming yourself for things you couldn’t control.”

Zuko exhaled deeply, a puff of smoke leaving his nostrils.

Sokka realized that this must be something he’s been thinking about for a long time, maybe even since before he joined the gang. He was meant to be the firelord someday. The pressure must have been unbearable since the day he was born. Sokka wondered how many times Zuko had felt overwhelmed, stuck with a fate much too big for someone so young.

Sokka stared up at the moon. What Zuko said made sense logically, but he was still having trouble believing it. “I guess you’re right,” he said softly.

Zuko shrugged. “I know how hard it is to just stop feeling certain things. I don’t expect you to be able to just turn off the guilt. I know I haven’t.”

Sokka nodded, reaching over to thread his fingers with Zuko’s. They were warm as always.

“Just remember that you can always come to me when you’re feeling that way,” Zuko continued. “I’ll remind you that it wasn’t your fault as many times as you need me to.”

Sokka smiled over at him, brushing his thumb over the back of Zuko’s hand lovingly. “Y’know you’re pretty wise?”

Zuko blushed. “Yeah, well, I spent too long with my uncle. It was unavoidable.”

Sokka chuckled. “I hear that. I met him briefly in Ba Sing Se, although we didn’t really get the chance to talk. Toph seemed to like him though.”

“He’s easy to like, assuming you start off on his good side.”

Sokka smiled slightly. He could tell how much Zuko loved his uncle from how he talked about the man. Zuko had once confided in him that he was worried the gang found it annoying when he was always bringing up Iroh in conversations, but honestly Sokka found it endearing. He hoped that when this was all over he might be able to meet Zuko’s uncle without the context of the war looming over them.

The two boys laid next to each other in the overgrown garden, staring up at the stars and talking for hours on end until finally Zuko’s warmth and the steady sound of waves on the nearby shore lulled Sokka into the most peaceful sleep he’s had in a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, if anyone has any prompts for me you know where to find me :)


End file.
